Diplomat dust-ups in Djibouti

It took only a simple slap to ruin ties between the United Arab Emirates and Djibouti, and beyond that to trigger a major shift in diplomatic alliances around the Gulf of Aden. The Gulf states, which had planned to install a military base in Djibouti, are now turning instead to Eritrea, Djibouti's big rival. In response, Djibouti president Ismaïl Omar Guelleh is playing more than ever on his country's strategic position in the Gulf of Aden to stir up rivalry between Washington and Beijing. After allowing the Chinese to set up a naval base at Obock, Guelleh is now trying to smooth maters over with the United States. He flew to Addis Ababa on July 25 to confer with Barack Obama during the American president's diplomatic tour of East Africa.

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Free trade zones to be vacated to make way for Chinese army

IOG gets support from Gulf States to counter UAE

Failing to break the ice with the UAE, President Ismaïl Omar Guelleh is trying to thaw his country’s relations with Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Qatar. IOG has managed to win the Gulf countries back to his country, using Djibouti’s strategic [...]

Guelleh seeks Somali help with UAE

How IOG is rolling out red carpet for China

Djibouti president Ismaïl Omar Guelleh, is actively preparing for Chinese to establish in Djibouti, both on the economic and military fronts. To do this, he takes no account of the American and French forces already stationed in the country and [...]

Crisis with the UAE: Youssouf persona non grata in Saudi Arabia

Clash with Abu Dhabi remodels regional alliances

Following the altercation in Djibouti on 27 April between Wahib Moussa Kalinleh, the commander of Forces aériennes djiboutiennes (FAD – Djibouti air force), and Ali Al Shihi, Vice Consul of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Djibouti and the UAE broke [...]

A slap in the face leads to serious diplomatic crisis with Abu Dhabi

Ismail Omar Guelleh goes on a shopping spree in China on credit

True to his plan to transform his country into a kind of small Singapore and his ambition to be re-elected president in 2016 through a policy of instigating major infrastructure projects, President Ismaïl Omar Guelleh (IOG) is investing without counting [...]